Swimming-jacket.



No. 685,757. Patented Nov. 5, I90l.

H. J. GLUGKE &. B. FENNER.

SWIMMING JACKET.

(Application filed June 29, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT Darren.

HERMAN J. GLOOKE AND BARNET FENNER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWlMMlNG-JACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 68 5,757, datedNovember 5, 1901.

Application filed June 29, 1901.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HERMAN J. GLooKE and BARNET FENNER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia,andState of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Improvement inSwimming-Jackets,of which the followingis a full,clear, and exactdescription,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forma part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to so construct a swimming-jacket that itwill aid a learner not only to keep afloat, but will tend to throw thebody forward into the position assumed in swimming.

Afurther object of the invention is to leave the arms perfectly free andunobstructed.

Another object of the invention is to enable the jacket to be readilyput on and taken off and to adjust itself to persons of different sizes.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the swimming-jacket.Fig. 2 is a development of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3of Fig. 2.

The jacket is made of a piece of fabric the two layers of which arestitched together on the lines 50 00 and y y to form sections or pockets0 D E F GH I J (containing cork, cork-shavings, or other material of lowspecific gravity) andthefiatsectionsKL. Thetwolayersoffabric extendabove the front and rear pockets, and the portion M, extending above thefront pockets G D E F, is secured to the portion N of lesser height andarea extending above the rear pockets G H I J on the line 2 z, and thesections M, N, K, and L are cutaway to form armholes, thus forming avest-shaped jacket, which is slipped on and off in the manner of a vest.Between the front pocketE and rear pocket I a section or pocket K isformed in which no cork is placed, the two layers lying flat one againstthe other. It is about the Width of the cork-filled pockets, and itsfunction is twofold-first, to connect the pockets at the front and rear,and, secondly, to form a flat surface underneath the armpits, therebyaffording the greatest possible freedom of movement to the arms. Asimilar collapsed pocket or fiat section L is formed between the frontpocket F and rear pocket J. To

Serial No. 6 6,478. (No model.)

further remove obstructions to the free action of the arm, the pocketsE, F, I, and J are cut down in height adjacent to the flat sections Kand L, the upper ends of said pockets being inclined downwardly from therespective adjacentpockets O, D, G, and II to the said fiat sections.

The rear pockets G and H extend substantially higher than thecorresponding front pockets 0 and D. The rear pockets I and J are alsoof greater average height than the corresponding front pockets E and F,the inclination of the upper ends of the pockets I and J being somewhatsteeper than the inclination of the upper ends of the pockets E and F.The flat sections K and L are also slightly higher in the rear than inthe front. This excess and higher reach of cork in the back tends tothrow the body forward into the proper position to be assumed inswimming.

Beyond the sections 0 and D are formed, respectively, narrow flatsections 0 and P. To these sections and also the front edges of sectionsM are secured straps or ribbons Q. After the jacket is put on the strapsof the opposing sections are tied together.

The jacket is not serviceable as a life-preserver, because it lacks thenecessary buoyancy, owing to the large area of flat fabric, and becauseit tends to throw the body face forward into the water instead ofmaintaining the body in an upright position; but it is designedespecially to meet the requirements of a swimming-jacket and as such ismuch superior to those now on the market.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire toprotect by Letters Patent, is-

l. A swim ming-jaoket comprising a plurality of vertically-extendingcork-filled pocketed front sections and a plurality ofverticallyextending cork-filled pocketed rear sections, the last-namedsections being substantially longer than and extending a substantialdistance above the first-named sections, and flat sections joining theend front and rear pocketed sections, substantially as described.

2. A swimming-jacket comprising a plurality of vertically-extendingcork-filled pocketed front sections and a plurality ofverticallyextending cork-filled pocketed rear sections, the last-namedsections being substantially longer than and extending a substantialdistance above the first-named sections, fiat sections joining the endfront and rear pocketed sections, and flat sections extending above thefront and rear sections and secured together at the top, the said flatsections being cut away to form arinholes, substantially as described.

3. A swiinining-jacket comprising a plurality of vertically-extendingcork-filled pocketed front sections and a plurality ofverticallyextending cork-filled pocketed rear sections, the last-namedsections being substantially longer than and extending a substantialdistance above the first-named sections, side flat sections joining theend front and rear pocketed sections, upper front and rear fiat sectionsextending above the pocketed front and rear sections, and seen redtogether at the top, said fiat sections being cut away to form armholes,narrow front fiat sections 0 and P beyond the central front pocketedsections, and straps secured to the narrow front fiat sections and theupper front flat sections, substantially as described.

at. A swimming-jacket comprising a plurality of vertically-extendingcork-filled pocketed front sections, a plurality of vertically-e2:-tending cork-filled pocketed rear sections, fiat vertically-extendingside sections connecting the adjacent front and rear pocketed sections,and upper front and rear flat sections extending respectively above thefront pocketed sections and the rear pocketed sections, the central rearpocketed sections being substantially longer than and extendingsubstantially above the central front pocketed sections, and the endrear pocketed sections being substantially longer than the end frontpocketed sections, each of the end front and rear pocketed sect-ionshaving an upper end sloping downwardly from the adjacent pocketedsection to the adjacent flat side section, substantially as described.

5. A swimming-jacket comprisinga piece of fabric in two layers, the saidlayers being stitched together,on vertical lines,along their loweredges, and between their upper and loweredges, to form pockets, therebyforming the front, rear and sides of the jacket, the pockets forming thefront and rear of the jacket being filled with cork and the side pocketsbeing fiat or collapsed, the fiat portion above the side pockets beingcut away,

and the flat portions above the front and rear pockets being securedtogether at the top to form armholes, substantially as described.

6. Aswimming-jacketcomprisingapiece of fabric in two layers, the saidlayers being stitched together,on vertical lines, along their loweredges, and between their upper and lower edges, to form pockets, therebyforming the front, rear and sides of the jacket, the in 7. Aswimming-jacket comprising a piece of fabric in two layers, the saidlayers being stitched together, on vertical lines,along their loweredges, and between their upper and lower edges, to form pockets, therebyforming the front, rear and sides of the jacket, the pockets forming thefront and rear of the jacket being filled with cork and the side pocketsbeing flat or collapsed, the flat portion above the side pockets beingcut away, and the fiat portions above the front and rear pockets beingsecured together at the top to.

form armholes, there being four front pockets and four rear pockets, therear pockets being substantially longer than and extending sub-.stantially above the corresponding four front pockets, there being alsoformed a narrow vertical flat double layer or section adjacent to thecentral front pockets, and straps secured to the last-named sections andto the front edges of the fiatportion above the front pockets,substantially as described.

In testimony of which invention we have hereunto set our hands, atPhiladelphia, on this 28th day of June, 1901.

HERMAN J. GLOOKE. BARNET FENNER. \Vitnesses:

FRANK S. BUSSER, M. F. ELLIs.

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